Rhino in detail

A few years ago we made an unforgettable journey to Nepal during which we visited the jungle in Chitwan.

In Chitwan we also took part in an elephant safari and by accient came across a rhinoceros lying in a mud pond. The moment was exciting and brief. Wobbling at the back of elephant I managed to take just one photo of that great animal. And even that was not so good:

So, this time, when Darren Rowse's Photography School's assignment was 'detail', I decided to make a study of rhino in detail

This is what I came up:

Here are some other pics from the same session:

Sunny winter days continue

For the past week we have had cold but sunny weather, which is actually quite wonderful from the point of photographing.  The only problem being, how well your camera tolerates temperatures that are below -25c.

Here are some photos taken a couple of days ago in and around of my home town, Otepää.

Unfortunately it is too late to submit any of the for DPS's assignment: weather. But it is never too late to post them here.

In the early hours of the day there is still fog in the valley of Otepää.

A view from the church hill.

In a few hours' time the sky has cleared.

Electricity is crucial in these temperatures.

A frosted tree.

The Otepää Natural Park is among the biggest and most beautiful in Estonia.

Natural art of wind and snow.

A spot of colour in the otherwise white and blue scenery. Note the furry fellow at the back seat.

Snow piles up into interesting formations.

Another example of Nature's art.

Ice fishing on Lake Pyhajärv

What seems natural to us northerners may be exotic to others from the southern hemisphere. Like ice fishing, which is popular both in Finland and in Estonia, not to mention in Russia.

Personally I have never understood the magic of sitting on ice for hours looking into a small hole waiting for the fish to catch.

But it is a popular pastime, and quite many  fishermen are passionate about it. Ice fishing is like religion or meditation to them. And there are also hundreds of beliefs and fishermen's well protected secrets as to what kind of methods and baits one should use for the best result. It is an eternal battle between the sly fish and the cunning fisherman.

So it is no wonder that we have a big ice fishing festival in Otepää at the Lake Pyhajärv (Holy Lake) every year. Thousands of people gather on  ice, some fishing, some following the contest called The Golden Fish.

The rules of The Golden Fish are: before the competition 130 small fishes are marked with little tags and then set free in the lake. It is then fishermen's task to catch these particular fishes. One of them carries a tag that promises the winner one kilo of 14 K gold if ever caught.

The Golden Fish is not just a competition, it is a carnival where everyone is having a good time. Alcohol is consumed in large quantities, mainly hot rum or mulled wine. There is a band playing and people are dancing outdoors. Funny hats and wigs are popular, some people are dressed as animals or other creatures. And children and dogs are included in the crowd, all enjoying the day outdoors.

Today we had the annual Golden Fish festival, and I took a few photos of the big day:

Thousands of people gather on ice for the carnival

Children having fun of their own

There are small booths and stands selling all sorts of articles connected to fishing and winter

Girl selling roasted chestnuts and home made candy

There are different styles of luring the fish

The weather is pretty cold, around -12c but the sun shines most of the time

Alcohol is consumed in large quantities to keep both body and soul warm

The band is playing - the singer Sepo Seeman is a well-known actor in Estonia

And people have fun

Girls smiling at the camera

Funny hats and silly wigs are in style

It is OK to show a little affection at the carnival

Someone has caught a big perch

Fishes that are not qualified for the competition are grilled

Children have their own competitions, like here: skiing with only one ski

So the day goes by with fun and fishing. The Golden Fish stays in the lake and the kilo of gold remains unclaimed - but other fishes bring prizes to the competitors. The biggest prize being, however, the overall good feeling that the carnival gives to people on this cold Saturday in February.

DPS's assignment: Weather outside - at the seashore

Last Thursday we had a spot of incredibly good weather. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. Which was really a nice change to the overall grayness that has prevailed most of this winter.

We have two houses is Estonia, one in the south of Estonia, at Otepää. Another in the north, at Võsu, on the Gulf of Finland. It was time to visit the Võsu house.

While my husband was busy shovelling snow,  I spent a few hours at the shore photographing the magically beautiful but desolate seashore.

It was a bit like Sophie's choice, which photo to choose for the assignment.

I ended up with this one: changing cabins waiting for the summer guests. It is going to be a long wait:

Other favourites of the day include:

A solitary snowman looking at the sea

A deer ventures on the frozen sea

Käsmu Gulf in the evening sun

A boat that is not going anywhere for a while

Two huts at the seashore

Last shot of the day: a dead standing tree at Käsmu

DPS Assignment: Weather outside

DPS's newest assignment is weather, which has been the constant topic whenever two people meet.

The winter has been very very snowy, yet mild.

Snow is nice, but too much is too much. I am so ready for the spring. First signs are already in the air: the dripping of icicles:

Still more still-flowers

I submitted my post to DPS's weekly assignment a couple of days ago, and I will stick to it. Even though afterwards I got a litte carried away and later experimented with some dried flowers of yesteryear's amaryllis. And for a while considered changing my posting. But let it be.

Let's go to my second try of still life photography of flowers!

Experimenting is always great fun, and I was quite happy with the results: the dead flowers had their final moments!

As said, experimenting is always good fun. And if the experiments produce something interesting, all the better!

Let me introduce my studio for this particular case:

Firstly, the subject matter: dried flowers, not really very pretty as such:

Lighting: simple natural light that came through the balcony windows.

Other apparatus: I needed a flower holder that would keep the poor flower against light:

For that purpose I used an old IKEA foot lamp, from which I removed the actual lamp and used the foot.

And my studio was ready for the actual shooting: